What is a Connected Packaging Platform?

Understanding Connected Packaging

Before we talk about the platform, let’s start with the concept itself: connected packaging.

At its simplest, connected packaging is packaging that talks to the digital world. Most often today, that “talk” happens through a QR code or a 2D barcode built on GS1 Digital Link standards. NFC, RFID, and formats we have not even imagined yet can also serve as gateways.

The key is this: the code irrespective of how it is shared identifies the product and connects the scanning device to a digital resource — whether it is a human or a machine. What happens after that connection is where the real value lies. Systems like the GS1 Resolver make sure those scans resolve to the right information for the right audience.

From our perspective, simply linking a QR code to a product homepage is not enough. Technically, it is connected, but if what it connects to is generic, static, or fails to deliver what the scanner needs, it is not effective connected packaging.

True connected packaging must provide utility and a lot of it. That utility has to stretch across consumers seeking transparency, machines checking compliance, and regulators demanding data, all while adapting seamlessly to the context of the scan.

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Why Connected Packaging Matters for Food and Beverage

In food and beverage, the stakes are even higher. Consumers, brands, and regulators all converge at the packaging.

• Consumers want clarity. They want transparency, proof, and trust, and they want it fast. In a pack-to-digital context, our analytics show people give a post-scan page about 6 to 8 seconds if they cant find what they seek, they bounce. That is your window to deliver what they came for.
  
• Brands face rising compliance demands. Regulations like FSMA 204 in the U.S. and the Digital Product Passport in Europe are setting new standards for food traceability, and both require data connected at the pack level. Retailers are also raising expectations, pushing brands to provide full supply chain visibility directly from 2D barcodes.
  
• Brands seek engagement. With most sales happening through retailers, CPG brands rarely meet their end consumers directly. As digital advertising becomes harder to target, connected packaging fills the gap as the brand’s only truly owned retail media channel. By identifying who scans and interacts, it creates a direct pack-to-consumer link that fuels loyalty, promotions, insights, and more effective advertising.

In short, packaging is no longer just a container. When connected, it becomes a mobile data packet, a hub of information and interaction that serves consumers, brands, and regulators all at once.
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Why a Connected Packaging Platform is Essential

The demands on packaging today are unlike anything we have seen before. Consumers expect transparency. Brands must show traceability. Regulators are setting stricter rules. Marketing wants direct engagement. Operations need simplicity.

Managing all of this without a central system quickly becomes overwhelming.

A connected packaging platform is that central system. Done right, it simplifies the complicated by bringing together all the utilities a product needs at the pack level:

• Track inputs to outputs across the supply chain with clarity and precision.
  
• Power loyalty programs, promotions, and competitions that feel effortless.
  
• Create engaging WebApps that turn a scan into a meaningful experience.
  
• Integrate seamlessly with CRMs, marketing suites, and compliance systems.
  
• Serve as a traceability hub, collecting and surfacing data to regulators while keeping consumers informed.
  

And importantly… what it is not: a connected packaging platform is not a basic QR code generator or a Linktree. Those tools stop at creating codes or redirecting clicks. Orijin Plus and true connected packaging platform go further — centralising traceability, transparency, and engagement at the pack level, while managing 2D barcode standards and powering the consumer experiences, compliance workflows, and data connections that make packaging a true digital channel.‍

A Multi-Department Tool

Because packaging sits at the intersection of consumers, brands, and regulators, every department has a stake in it. Marketing, operations, compliance — all need connected packaging to serve their needs. This is where the delicate dance of an effective platform comes in: balancing the requirements of each without overwhelming the business.

The Orijin Plus Approach

At Orijin Plus, we did not set out to build just another siloed data system. We built the platform we wished we had as CPG founders. To make it simple for everyone in the business, we organised it into three hubs:

• Traceability Hub – Ensures compliance and turns supply chains into stories worth sharing.
  
• Transparency Hub – Builds consumer trust with clear, reliable product information.
  
• Engagement Hub – Rewards loyalty, powers promotions, and connects brands directly to their consumers.
  

At the centre is our WebApp builder, where these hubs intersect to create experiences that serve every department, meet every regulatory requirement, and capture the attention of consumers in those crucial 6–8 seconds post scan.

The Three Hubs That Power a Connected Packaging Platform

Introducing the hubs is one thing. Understanding how they actually work together to serve every stakeholder is where the value really becomes clear.

• Traceability Hub – Beyond compliance, it transforms supply chain records into marketing strength. From FSMA 204 in the U.S. to Digital Product Passports in Europe, brands can meet the rules while highlighting their provenance story. It is about proof, but also pride.
  
• Transparency Hub – Goes deeper than a static label by dynamically surfacing the right information to the right audience. Consumers see clear nutrition, allergens, or certifications. Retailers see batch data. Regulators see disclosure records. All from the same code.
  
• Engagement Hub – This is the creative frontier. Loyalty, competitions, interactive games, immersive brand stories, augmented reality experiences, sustainability pledges — the list keeps growing. Our platform is built to power this full spectrum of consumer interactions, turning packaging into a living channel rather than a fixed design.
  

Together, the hubs form one cohesive system. Instead of siloed tools across marketing, operations, and compliance, the Orijin Plus platform brings them into harmony. Packaging becomes the connector, not just between departments, but between brands, consumers, and regulators.

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Making 2D Barcodes Simple

The shift to 2D barcodes under the GS1 standard is one of the biggest packaging changes in decades. Every product will need to carry more than a static identifier — it must carry a GS1 Digital Link that can resolve to multiple experiences depending on who scans it.

At Orijin Plus, we make this transition simple. Our platform manages the structure, the data, and the integrations behind the scenes. What looks like a single code on pack becomes a powerful connector, ready for consumers, regulators, retailers, and machines. With the GS1 Resolver framework built in, every scan finds its way to the right place, without brands needing to manage the complexity themselves.

Connected Packaging FAQs: Traceability, 2D Barcodes, and Engagement

What is the GS1 Digital Link?
The GS1 Digital Link is a global standard that turns product identifiers, like GTINs, into web links. This allows a 2D barcode on packaging to connect directly to detailed product information, traceability records, and interactive consumer experiences.

What is the GS1 Resolver?
The GS1 Resolver is a framework that ensures a 2D barcode or GS1 Digital Link points to the correct information source. It makes sure regulators, retailers, machines, and consumers each receive the information relevant to them from the same code.

Why are 2D barcodes important now?
By 2027, GS1’s global “sunrise” deadline means every product will require a 2D barcode instead of the traditional UPC or EAN. Retailers and regulators are already shifting to expect this, and brands that prepare early can use connected packaging to gain a competitive advantage.

How does Orijin Plus make 2D barcodes easier to manage?
Orijin Plus automates the structure and management of 2D barcodes. The platform handles GS1 Digital Link syntax, integrates with the GS1 Resolver, and ensures compliance data, consumer information, and engagement tools all work from a single scan.

What can brands actually do with connected packaging?
Connected packaging opens endless opportunities: traceability proofs, compliance disclosures, loyalty programs, competitions, interactive games, augmented reality experiences, and immersive brand storytelling. Orijin Plus powers all of these directly from packaging.

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